Pressure is mounting on the government to set up a police squad to investigate animal abuse after two more stray cats were found killed in Sham Shui Po yesterday.

One of the cats showed signs of having been tortured.

It was the second such incident in less than a month. A stray cat was so badly tortured in Sau Mau Ping on November 16 that vets had to put it down.

A woman called police at about 6am after she discovered the bodies of the two cats, one of them with its stomach slashed, in a back lane off Nam Cheong Street.

Officers from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals were called to the scene to assist the inquiry.

The SPCA will examine the bodies to prepare a report to the police for further the investigation, a spokeswoman for the association said.

Kevin Cheuk Chi-chiu, chairman of the Animal-Friendly Alliance, said he was shocked by the recent animal abuse and said there was no excuse for the government not to set up a squad to investigate cruelty to animals.

"Only until the police treat stray dogs and cats as living things and conduct criminal investigations seriously will they effectively send a strong message to the public that Hong Kong has zero tolerance for animal abuse," Cheuk said.

Four men and a woman, aged 18 to 25, were arrested over the incident last month. They have to report to police later this month but have not been charged.

Last month's incident came to light after pictures of the cat, with blood pouring from its mouth, outraged Facebook users. The cat was allegedly attacked on the 11th floor of Tin Chi House on the Shun Tin Estate.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as Police unit urged after stray cats slaughtered